Across the River
by Swirlycloud
Summary: A series of fics centered around the founders of Konoha, spanning from their days as kids to their resurrection. Lots of brotherly interactions, silly moments, and angst. HashiMada. Tobirama/OC
1. Ronri 論理 Logic

—-

The boy with the bowl cut smiled big. He continued on with eagerness. "And she's taller than me, too!"

His friend raised his eyebrows high. "Really?" He made a face. "But isn't everyone taller than you?" A rock was thrown at his head.

"But seriously!" He set his arms two feet apart. "They were like this big!"

"...Hashirama, don't you have other things to be thinking about?"

He let his arms fall beside him. "Like what? You didn't even see—"

The young Uchiha looked unfazed. "I bet she has an older sister." He sat on a big rock a few meters away from where his friend was standing.

He looked confused. "How do you know?"

Madara closed his eyes. "I just know."

"But _how_ do you know?"

He glared at him. "I know everything."

"Pfft. You can't scare me with that pathetic glare." He busted out laughing. "You should see _my_ serious face! Gets my brother all flustered every time," he boasted. He pointed to his face.

"Not with that haircut." He received a stuck-out tongue. "Which...brother?" he asked carefully.

"...Oh." He looked away. "My little brother...Itama..."

"Oh." Madara visibly regretted asking.

Hashirama was quick to take advantage of that. He turned away from him and squatted down, hugging his knees to chest.

"E-eh?!" Great. Now he'd made him upset. "You've got to control your moods, man!"

Hashirama felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry."

"No, it's nothing compared to you...you lost four of your brothers," he mumbled.

"It's not comparable..." Madara said. "Loss is...loss."

"But you lost even more than me..." He looked up at Madara. "Don't you feel sad?"

"Not much anymore," he lied. "You just move on."

"Yeah, right." Hashirama scoffed. "That's horrible logic."

"What?"

Hashirama gave him a look. "If you lose four brothers, that should mean four times the sadness."

"..."

Madara rose his eyebrows somewhat in amusement. "...And _my _logic is horrible?"

"Shut up." A pebble was abruptly thrown at his face.

"Again! What the hell, Hashirama!" He scowled madly.

"Bwahaha!" His friend ran away alongside the river's edge, effectively avoiding the oncoming heavier rocks he received in return.

—-

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for reading~  
I might continue this into a drabble series if I have time, otherwise this seems somewhat incomplete. So let me know if that sounds good! Please review! :)

Edit: So I _did_ turn this into a series after receiving some nice feedback~! I've set this as close to canon as possible, as I do with all my stories, so don't expect anything OOC/AU. I can't really stand OOC to begin with, and AU is literally an entire other thing...

So yes, as I typically make them, this series is meant to fill in the gaps and develop a solid back story for these characters. Hopefully this is something you can come back to and read over and over again, just to get your HashiMada and/or general pre-Konoha feels satisfied :P

Also going to use this a/n to do some shameless promoting: Go check out these two's unofficial theme song! I made it myself, yep...  
The video is on YouTube and the soundtrack download is available for free in the description; both links are on my FF page!

**Edit: I've posted an actual story "_Zephyr Forest" _set in this story's same universe, more or less, and takes place while they're adults.** **It will borrow heavily from these drabbles, as I find these to be a good background for me to work with. So yeah, go read it or something :P  
**


	2. Kakushin 確信 Conviction

—-

"What's with that look on your face?"

"What's with that look on _your_ face?" Hashirama questioned back. He jumped off the rock he was sitting upon. "Wait. Is there something on my face?" He reached a hand up to his cheek.

Madara sighed and smirked. "Yes, actually there is." He straightened up. "Now tell me what's up."

Hashirama faked a laugh. "What do you mean?"

"Shinobi don't hide their wounds, but you are. Obviously someone important to you gave you that." His expression changed. "Was it your girlfriend?" he asked, pointing inches away from Hashirama's cheek.

"...Y-yeah! Of course. I got caught—"

"Stupid." He whacked his friend on the side of his head.

"OW! What was that for?" he demanded, regaining his balance. Did he know?

"Of course I know."

Still holding the side of his head, he froze.

"You don't have a girlfriend, baka."

He scowled. "And how do you know?"

Madara grinned.

Hashirama tensed in apprehension, learning to expect the now-typical response from him.

"I know everything."

"I knew it." He facepalmed.

"Most girls I know slap you across the face, not leave it half-bruised," he mused. "They don't leave a mark like that."

"Well..." His friend began. "You don't know her."

Madara exaggerated a sigh, and poked him. "It's okay, you know, Hashirama. I know it was your dad."

The young Senju gave him a look of incomprehension. Was it that easy to tell?

"It's pretty easy to tell, actually."

"Yeah, well, I don't have a pokerface like you...Mr. Scary Features."

Madara blinked. "Mr...Scary Features?" he repeated slowly, incredulously.

"Yeah...it was my father," he said, ignoring him. He received a shove and fell back a few steps. "We fight a lot."

"Oh," he said with mild surprise. "It is the same for me..."

"Really?" he asked. He sat down on the ground and started picking at small pebbles.

"We disagree about many things...including my dislike for how we have been living...constantly fighting...killing, and death..." he said distantly.

Hashirama looked up at him. "I guess we have a lot to work out with our parents' generation, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "We do."

Hashirama's expression turned confident. "We can do it. We'll work it out together." He gave him a thumbs-up. He noticed his face was being examined carefully. Was the mark that bad? He did not realize his friend was actually deep in thought.

Together... _A trustworthy person?_ Madara thought so. Slowly, he smiled.

—-

* * *

**A/N**: Chapter title is "Conviction"

Thoughts? :D


	3. Tekishu 敵手 Rival

—-

"Hey. You."

Madara turned around from where he stood. He had been followed?

"Stay away from my brother...ok?"

It seemed his pursuer was becoming better at tracking him. However, aside from that brief moment of admiration, he did not like him one bit. Not even after all these years. "Tobirama...you followed me?" His long, spiky hair blew with the wind. He frowned, sensing the younger Senju's protective aura. He disliked it thoroughly—he did not think it could even come close to his love for his own deceased younger brother, Izuna.

"Of course. You and Hashirama are here often," he said, motioning around the area. The two shinobi stood upon a large rock mountain. Tobirama stepped closer to the ledge and looked out around him. Just centimeters from a steep drop, he watched the river flow effortlessly below.

The Uchiha approached him nonchalantly. He noticed that Tobirama did not budge, seemingly unfazed by the approaching presence.

_Push him. Just push him. Say it was an accident._ Inner Madara—he had developed one some time ago—facepalmed.

Madara silently made his way toward him and stopped just inches apart from the Senju. A hand suddenly grasped his outstretched arm. His black eyes widened.

"Don't. Even. Think about it," Tobirama warned in a casual tone, not even bothering to turn his head.

Madara scowled. "Kuso!_" _He turned on his heels and stomped in the other direction.

_Next time._

—-

* * *

**A/N**: Protective younger brother no jutsu! An effective power-up that immediately makes you immune to all attacks from your enemies...particularly Uchiha.

Chapter title is "Rival"


	4. Kyoudai 姉弟 Little brother: I

—-

"Tobi?" Hashirama walked around, calling his name. A worried expression consumed his face. Oh no. Where could he be? It was not safe to be far from the clan at this time of night. Of course, being his older brother, this did not seem to apply to himself.

"Tobirama!"

The night was loud, filled with the sounds of various animals and insects, busy in their activities. Time passed as he wandered through thick forest and numerous clearings. A feeling of apprehensiveness soon crept upon him—he was not exactly sure where he was anymore. He then found himself entering an area that displayed signs of recent bloodshed. His apprehension quickly turned to fear. This blood...could some of it be...?

As he quietly tread further through the area, he heard the crunching of fallen leaves nearby. He turned suddenly, readying the kunai in his hand. "Tobi?" he whispered. He walked toward the sound, and proceeded to check behind a large tree.

"_Oof!_"

The two ninja bumped into each other, but the heavier Senju ended up pushing the shinobi over and fell on top of him. They looked into each other's eyes, surprised beyond belief.

"Hashirama?"

"Madara?"

The Uchiha tried to sit up. "Get off me," he demanded, pushing the boy off from him. Then he sat up, and stared at his friend, who was looking quite dazed.

"...What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously, with a hint of fear. The blade fell from his hand. "This is—" he stopped abruptly. He couldn't tell him this was Senju territory.

"This is—" Madara had started to explain, but caught himself, as well. He was pretty sure he was still on Uchiha ground. He sighed, and wiped the hair away from his forehead with a dirty palm. "I'm looking for my brother."

"What?" Hashirama gazed at him in disbelief. "So am I!"

Something flashed in Madara's eyes, although it went unnoticed by his friend. "At this time of night?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Obviously not," he snapped.

Madara raised his eyebrows. He must be seriously worried. But then again, so was he.

"I've been looking for hours," Hashirama said, worry tinging his voice. He buried his head atop his knees.

Madara's face softened. _You get depressed so easily... _

A hand was placed gently on the young Senju's shoulder. Hashirama lifted his head, and slowly accepted the gesture in comfort. He stared at his best friend and then blinked the tears away.

"We'll find him," his friend insisted earnestly.

He sniffed. "And yours, too." _Why do I get so easily upset? _he asked himself angrily. _Look at Madara. His brother is missing, too, but you don't see him crying about it. _A thought struck him.

What if he was dead?

The thought nearly froze him. He wouldn't know what to do if he lost his only brother. Not after Itama and Kawarama... He felt his eyes sting and throat burn again.

"Let's go," Madara urged, tugging on Hashirama's arm, and pulling him up. He glanced around seriously. "We should hurry. Looks like there's been a recent battle."

Hashirama nodded, and let himself be guided by this boy, this...brave person. His best friend was with him now. Everything would be fine.

—-

* * *

**A/N**: Please review! It is much appreciated! :)

And new chapter for _The Right Direction_: Featuring some MinaKushi fluff :3

Summary: Kakashi and Obito are on a mission during the Third Great Shinobi War, not long before the Battle at Kannabi bridge. However, it doesn't go as planned. Follows the lives of Team Minato and leads right up to Kakashi Gaiden. Action, humor, fluff, and the like.


	5. Miataru 見あたる Found: II

—_-_

_Where could he be? _Each boy thought.

Hashirama glanced at his friend beside him. He did not look worried at all... Perhaps his brother is very strong?

_Well, so is Tobirama!_ he thought. In fact, he was catching up to him pretty fast. "Madara, do you think—?"

"Shh," Madara hushed him, and squeezed his arm, not realizing he had still been holding onto it.

They both froze, and listened. Nothing.

"...Wait," Hashirama said, taking his arm back slowly. Was that...? "I'm going to check over there," he said, moving eastward, to his right. As he further distanced himself from his friend, he also made sure to check behind him once he was sure that Madara wasn't looking.

Hashirama didn't know it, but Madara suddenly felt very alone. There was no implication that he was wanted when his friend left him. He had really wanted to go with him, but there was a strict air about the boy that told him not to follow. Telling himself to move on and just keep looking for his own brother, he wandered to the left. After about four minutes of walking, he saw something.

A hand. Sticking out from behind a tree, on the ground. Lifeless.

He expected it was a dead body, perhaps one from the recent fight. No, wait...that didn't make sense. Clans almost always made sure to clean up so that their enemies could not discover each other's secrets. So then—?!

He quickly ran up to the body, and then gasped. "Izuna!" His brother was lying on his back on the ground, unmoving. "Izuna!" He got on his knees and lifted his upper body. Placing a hand behind his brother's head, he looked at his dirt-covered face with worry. "Izuna...are you okay?" He stroked his cheek in an attempt to wake him.

Slowly, Izuna opened his eyes. _Ow... _He turned to look at the source of the voice. "Oniisan...?"

Madara shut his eyes in relief. "...Yes..." he breathed. "It's me."

He closed his eyes again. "Hi..." he said wearily.

He chuckled back. "Hi," he answered gently. Upon closer inspection of his brother, he noticed blood. "Izu—" There was blood coming from a deep gash near his shoulder, extending down to his chest. But...unless their fight had been very recent, it should have dried up by now... "Come on, Izuna. We need to go from here," he said with urgency. This couldn't have been Uchiha ground.

Izuna would have been found already.

—-

* * *

He was lying face-down on the ground, just meters away from him. Hashirama ran. _Please, don't let—! _

He arrived in front of his brother, and stared at his back for a good few seconds. _...He's not...is he...?_ He was almost too afraid to find out.

...No. There were no visible wounds. The blood appeared minimal, possibly from another shinobi.

With a bit more confidence, Hashirama got onto the ground beside him, and turned him over gingerly. He lifted his brother's head and placed it onto his lap. "Tobirama.." Tears formed at the edges of his eyes. They streamed down his face relentlessly. "Are you...?" He stroked his dear brother's face as if he was a newborn child. There was blood on the side of his head. "Are you okay...?" he whispered. His torment was deepened by the lack of a reply. "Tobi...please answer me..." His eyebrows curled upwards in desperation, and he felt for a heartbeat.

…

There it was. He let out a shaky breath. "Tobi, come on, wake up... You're too heavy to carry all the way home." He jutted out his lower lip. "Plus...I kind of got lost..."

Tobirama's dark eyes opened slightly at this. He stared out into space lifelessly.

"Your sensing is better than mine," his older brother admitted sheepishly. Actually, it was so terrible, that he couldn't even sense Madara from where he was. He was not supposed to be too far off to begin with...

Tobirama was quiet for a moment. The sound of frogs could be heard loudly, and nearly drowned out his softened voice when he spoke. "...Who are you...?" his asked tentatively.

Hashirama felt his heart skip a beat. "You-you don't know who I—?"

"...Gotcha!" He lifted his head in an attempt to sit up, and laughed heartily...or at least as heartily as one can when sustaining a serious head injury. He grimaced and fell back into Hashirama's grasp. "Ow..."

—-

* * *

Just as Hashirama was tending to his brother, Madara was already passing through the recent battleground they had come upon together. Madara wanted to go back and help, but Izuna was here, and wounded...he knew he couldn't expose to him his secret friendship with someone from outside the clan. As he carried his younger brother eastward, a slow realization crept upon him. "Izuna...do you know who attacked you? You were caught in a big fight, right? Just back there," he said, motioning with his head.

The younger Uchiha's words were barely audible through his phase of half-sleep. "...Senju..."

* * *

—-

His older brother looked at him gently. "...You fool." He stroked the fuzzy, soft white hair on his head, and thumbed the area near the wound gingerly.

He pouted. "I'm not...a tool," he retorted tiredly.

"...I said_ ahou_, ahou! Taku," he responded, shaking his head. Never mind. His expression changed as he examined Tobirama's head injury. "...I'm going to try and heal that," he said softly. Within seconds his hands flared to life with green chakra. He sustained the jutsu for two minutes. It seemed to clear up the most visible damage. Once he was done, he sighed. "My medical jutsu isn't that good yet. It will be better if you can be properly healed at home." He looked him over carefully. "Plus you could really use the rest before you're pulled back into battle like this." Father would make sure he was used quite thoroughly. Hashirama shook his head again, and wondered how Madara was doing...if he had found his own brother yet. "...Let's go, Tobirama."

The younger ninja was slowly lifted into a standing position with the help of his brother. He looked around briefly before shutting his eyes in dizziness. "Where are we...?"

"..."

Hashirama smacked his free hand to his forehead. "That's right, you're probably out of chakra...you can't sense..." How were they going to get back home now, if his brother couldn't sense the whereabouts of their clan? Plus he didn't look too good...pretty bad, actually. He frowned at his brother in worry. _This is why you're supposed to train yourself harder, Hashirama. Don't rely only on other people's skills... _

"Just kidding!" Tobirama exclaimed almost drunkenly. "I have...a little bit of chakra left..." he said with effort. He was silent for a moment and assumed a look of concentration. When he opened his eyes, he found Hashirama looking at him expectantly. He shook his own head, and noticed the look of disappointment his older brother was trying very hard to hide. Determined not to even let that disappointment exist, he tried once again. He released himself from Hashirama's firm grasp and knelt down to the ground, letting nothing distract him. He placed two fingers on the cool, damp dirt and focused hard.

Hashirama looked down at him as he worked. _This is that enhanced sensing technique he's been trying to perfect... _He mentally cheered. _My little bro is so awesome!_

"...That direction," he stated quietly. He pointed just west of where Hashirama stood.

His older brother knelt down, and patted him on the head. "Nice," he complimented, genuinely impressed with his little brother's improvement.

"Yeah, yeah," came the exhausted reply.

"Okay, Tobi, no more using chakra now...got it? Even if I get us lost," he added, muttering. He half-carried him away into the West, careful not to stray from the direction of the path his baby brother had pointed him to. Soon they passed the battleground area. Hashirama briefly wondered if Madara had found his own brother yet. Well, he would probably find out soon since the direction he was heading was where he'd seen Madara go off to. "By the way, Tobirama..." he began seriously. "Who was it that attacked you? Can you remember much?"

The young shinobi shook his head. "No..." Amnesia or not, he still could not recall much of the fight. That, he knew, would have to wait until later, when he was fully healed. However, he was beyond dissatisfied in giving his brother such a bland, useless answer. He thought for a moment harder, scouring his brain for even one clear detail. Images flashed through his mind, but most of them were blurry and indecipherable. Then one distinctive image surfaced, and rang bells of alarm. "Uchiha..." he mumbled in grave recognition.

—_-_

* * *

"_Senju...?_" he repeated in disbelief. He suddenly thought of Hashirama. He had also been looking for his brother...did that...?

No, that didn't necessarily mean anything. There could have been multiple clans involved, for all he really knew. Izuna must have only recognized one of them. The logic made perfect sense, yet he couldn't shake the sad, sickening feeling from inside him.

—_-_

* * *

Upon hearing his brother's answer, Hashirama felt a strong heaviness in his gut. There was no way...

It must be coincidence. It _had_ to be. Forcing down a gulp, he thought for a moment. Yes. He needed to clear his mind. He would get the full story once Tobi was well again. Nothing was proven yet.

—_-_

* * *

**A/N**: So this chapter explains some of how Mada and Hashi eventually figured out each other's clan name, mentioned as nothing more than a fleeting fact in canon before the set-up at the river.

As of now, I've written the next five to six chapters, more or less. I'll probably space them out for the sake of consistency, in case I'm too busy or out of ideas to write later on. Though I doubt I'll run out of ideas, with all these feels in my head...

Thanks for reading, and please review! Let me know your thoughts, critique, suggestions, anything! :) Feedback is much welcomed.

_Ahou_ – fool

_Taku_ – geez


	6. Haishin 背信 Betrayal

**A/N**: Sorry to interrupt the flow of the fics; I'm sticking this after Chapter 5, so it will bump the old Chapter 6 to 7, instead— I realized this chapter served as a prelude to the new chapter 7 so that it's no longer such a sudden shift.

This is a combination + expansion of Chapters 6 and 7 of my other story,_ The Burden of Knowledge_. So even if you've read it already...read it again :P This here is a much longer/altered/more accurate version anyway, and includes mentions of HashiMada (obviously!)

Enjoy!

* * *

—-

After having spent the rest of the afternoon deep in thought, Hashirama found himself feeling angry. He wanted answers; he wanted to know. He _needed_ to know. Frustrated, he leaned against a wall inside the house. "Tobirama..."

"Hm?" The fair-haired man turned his head at the sound of his older brother. He removed his hand from his forehead and set it on the scroll, avoiding the freshly painted signature he'd placed on a large housing request. He sighed in relief—that was the last set of requests for the week.

"I have a question for you." He stared at Tobirama's face, and saw that he looked tired. Hashirama didn't care.

So was he.

The younger Senju watched his brother fold his arms from across the room. He set down his brush. "What is it?" He noticed a familiar look on his face, and could feel his chakra rise in turmoil. He had felt it bubbling underneath the surface just earlier, and thought he might be in one of his moods again. With Hashirama remaining silent for so long in the corner of the large room while he, on the other side, had been dealing with various paperwork from the clans, he didn't think it'd had anything to do with him until now...

He finally spoke. "...Why do you hate the Uchiha so much?"

Tobirama's eyebrows rose slightly. "What?"

"Especially Madara."

He frowned, and looked away to the side. "You know I don't like him." That had been obvious from the start.

"It's been a long time, now!" He threw his hands out in front of him. "The constant fighting is over! We have no quarrel with him," he stated vindictively.

That made Tobirama lose it. "...No quarrel?!" His palm slammed onto the table beside him, narrowly missing the drying scroll. "Have you forgotten that he wanted you to kill yourself?!" He stared hard at his older brother.

"Or have me kill you."

"...Yes." He looked away again. The last thing he could do was forget the moment Madara had demanded Hashirama to make such a choice. He remembered the relief he felt when Madara had chosen to stop Hashirama from killing himself, but at the same time felt like ripping him to shreds. That was not how trust was meant to be earned! What a lying bastard. If Hashirama had indeed chosen to kill Tobirama, instead, then would Madara have stopped him, still?

Although now he knew that Hashirama would never have done such a thing, he couldn't help but think that if he had, then Madara's revenge for Izuna would have been complete.

Hashirama shook head, and looked into his eyes with a sort of longing. "Tobirama," he said. But the longing for knowledge was more like needing an excuse. "He is...different. I don't understand how you're feeling."

"How can you be friends with a man who asked you to do such a thing? How can you love him?! It is me who doesn't understand!"

He faltered. "You...knew?"

"I know. And everyday I wake up knowing that you and I will never be the same. ..._How_ is it that you can love him?" he questioned again. He'd seen it in Hashirama's eyes ever since that fight on the river when they were young...it was a sad, wistful look that broke his heart every time he saw it. "How could you not _tell_ me?"

He slowly recovered from the shock. "...I guess the answer is obvious enough," he scoffed. He was beyond being mature at this point; Tobirama really knew how to push his buttons.

The younger Senju frowned. "It's not as obvious as you like to think. He's too—"

"You don't know him, Tobirama! He's not always like that," Hashirama tried to reason. Reason? Pfft. There was no reasoning with this younger brother of his.

"Then why does he hate me so much?" The hand on the table tightened.

"You killed his brother, Tobirama," he said evenly. He could push Tobirama's buttons, too, and he didn't even feel guilty about it...this time.

"And ours? His clan is responsible for the death of many in our own!"

"As we are for them."

"I know this, brother." This was obvious. Why was he saying these things? War was now a thing of the past; they'd both learned to swallow the deaths of their own family. "I never held a grudge when his clan killed our brothers," he said levelly, unwavering. "Such is the life of a shinobi."

Hashirama took what he said into serious consideration. Tobirama was right...; that, he knew. Therefore... "He doesn't hate you," he said.

Tobirama looked at him carefully, knowing the weight his next words would hold. "And would you know this?"

The elder Senju was silent.

"He hasn't gotten over Izuna's death. After all, I took his last brother from him..." he said quietly, shifting his gaze away from his own. Regardless of his previous assertion on the life of shinobi, he felt the guilt and empathy begin to eat at him again. "If I were to ever ..." He did not care to finish the statement.

Hashirama gazed at him steadily. "'Lose you, I would not be able to guarantee anything'...right?" he finished for him. There was a heavy silence. "...What makes you think he hates you?" he asked, moving on after sensing his brother's discomfort, remembering his reluctance to admit any kind of affection for a human being.

"Every time we pass each other, he gives off the most venomous chakra. He's approached me several times...and..."

Hashirama visibly tensed. "...Without my knowledge?" The fingers on his crossed arms tingled.

He sighed at the floor. "Yes," he replied redundantly.

"MADARA!" he shouted to the wall beside him. "_Ahou! _How dare you mess with my little brother!"

Tobirama looked up and saw his brother make an angry fist in the air beside him. "..."

He coughed, and closed his eyes in a dignified manner. "Excuse me, my little Tobi."

"Don't call me that." He jutted his lip out.

He crossed his arms again, tighter this time. "Don't you lay a finger on my little Tobi-chan," he muttered with purpose.

"Dammit, Hashirama! I'm not a little kid!"

The older Senju turned his head, glaring at him.

Tobirama stepped back, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Don't take that tone with me."

His face was dry. "Hai, anija."

"Anyway, I still haven't received an answer from you."

The younger Senju folded his arms once again. "There's nothing to say," he said simply.

Hashirama did not appear convinced. "I want you to leave the Uchiha alone, ok?"

He put a hand out beside him, and tried not to speak too passionately. "I am not an advocate of war, brother. You think I don't want peace?"

"That's not it," Hashirama replied, this time looking away as well.

"Then why don't you include me in your plans?"

Hashirama met his eyes.

"I heard you two talking the other day..." He closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Your plans...what you discuss for the future of this land..."

Hashirama watched him carefully. A unfamiliar emotion began to rise within him.

"You always speak to the clan of these great ideals, and present wonderful ideas to us. The clan...is very appreciative of your efforts..." He opened his eyes. "But..." he hesitated.

_What a fool._

"I'm your brother..."

_Why would that mean anything?_

"And..." He stepped closer.

_Do you feel insecure?_

"I really..."

_Stop bothering him. He already despises you as it is._

"...Just want to help!"

_Can't you see?! Why do you speak when you already know the answer? He's already replaced you! _The younger shinobi's face turned to anguish. _You're just a little kid to him! _Anything that had been left of his calm, steady composure was now completely gone.

"Tobirama..." A sad, surprised expression consumed his face. He had no idea how his own brother had felt. Hashirama stayed silent, and took the moment to search within himself.

So conflicted. He was so conflicted.

The younger Senju wished he was wearing his armor right then. He felt exposed, like an open root, in front of his brother. Sure, he knew that Hashirama loved him, but...he didn't...

_That's been obvious from the start, hasn't it?_

Tobirama looked into his eyes earnestly. "You don't trust me, brother."

"...That is... " he said, uneasy of the answer he anticipated in return. He thought of Madara, and recalled the fight at the river between their families when they were younger. "Your views are...what is it that you..." He blinked as a hand placed itself hard against the wall beside his head. He met his dark eyes gravely.

"You know what my views are, brother." His eyebrows curled upwards in angry sorrow. "What are _yours_?"

—-

Hashirama had never felt so flustered before. Here he was, with one brother through friendship, and another through blood...and they both questioned their relationships with him.

One had eventually progressed to lover, and the other...

A thought overcame him, and horrified him. Had he been pushing away his own brother as he simultaneously got closer to...?

"If it were either me or Madara, who would you choose to to cut down?"

_If it was between me or him...who would you cut down?_

The familiar question sliced through his gut like he'd expected of the kunai in his own hand to do on that day back. He did not like how he was feeling, hearing his two precious people demand to know their place in his heart. Could he not love them both?

Were they jealous of each other?

Hashirama did not know that Madara still felt so bitter toward Tobirama. He must have hidden the feelings out of respect in his presence. The elder Senju frowned. _Madara..._

_He didn't have to hide it from me._ He looked at his brother, meeting his eyes again. The chakra of both shinobi swirled about in a raging storm of turmoil.

What was he going to do? He couldn't think logically anymore. Frustrated beyond his limits, feeling selfish, and knowing that Tobirama could handle it, he took his own hand and placed it on the arm beside his own neck, slowly removing it from the wall, and said, "Tobirama. I have not included you in my plans because...you're right. I do not trust you."

His brother remained silent, expression unchanging...as if he'd expected the answer. His gaze wavered for just a second, but it went unnoticed. Hashirama's frown felt sad to himself, but let it show cold. He knew the things his little brother would say. Would that mean he was just toying with him, then?

"You are too biased against the Uchiha. It is understandable..."

"I only want to do things democratically. You wanted to pick a leader, but...the rest of the village needed to have a say in it, too!" How could Hashirama still not understand? He couldn't go around deciding things for himself in place of the people. Hashirama, who had on numerous occasions questioned their father, should know Tobirama's own frustration well. Then why...?

_"You want to nominate him for the position, fine...but you can't have just named him the leader without the consent of the rest of the clans!" _Hashirama recalled their argument prior to the election.

"There were other Uchiha well-worth the consideration, but _him_...?" His mind wandered for a bit as he recalled meeting a young boy on the way to his home. Uchiha...Kagami...only a small child, but he could see the pureness within him. _If only the rest of his clan would notice_, he'd thought. _Perhaps someday... _He left the thought unfinished, hearing Hashirama speak again.

"...You are aware of Madara's reputation, yes?"

"Yes..."

"Then you should know, as you mentioned sometime earlier, that choosing Madara as our leader would not sit well with many."

"Even amongst the Uchiha, it is agreed! If you know this, then why did you insist on choosing him?" Tobirama noticed that his brother was now handling this argument rather dispassionately. It seemed as if he was being tested, and that Hashirama knew he would lose this one.

"Because I know he would be a good leader! Believe me, he shares the same ideals as I do..."

"He changes his mind too often...he is unstable. I just don't want—" _you to get hurt, anija._ _Or any of the villagers..._

"What is it that you don't what?"

Tobirama let out a slow, measured breath. "I don't doubt that Madara once shared the same ideals as you. But things are changing for the better, and I don't see him any happier. Why is that?" He leaned a hand on his shoulder and looked at him seriously.

Hashirama did not have an answer for him. He thought for a moment. He, too, had noticed Madara's fading happiness. He'd witnessed it all too recently.

Why? Things were coming together just as they'd planned, so_ why_...?

"He is no longer content."

Hashirama read his eyes. Just how insightful was his brother? Was he always this perceptive? A compelling thought crossed his mind. _Maybe he should be the leader of the village._

"The village would be much happier if you were chosen to be its leader," he continued. "And now you have been. I am not naïve, brother— I know very clearly what the clans want." Tobirama had calmed completely. It seemed as if some of what he was saying was finally getting through to him, after all. He looked at him carefully, noticing a grave expression slowly come upon him. His own face soon mirrored his brother's. He did not like what he saw, or what he heard next.

"Tobirama..." he said quietly. "Madara...has already left the village..."

—-

The younger Senju's eyebrows rose. "He-" he stopped short, cutting himself off.

"He has decided to turn on it completely, and fully clash with me and our village, he said..."

Hashirama watched him slap a hand onto his forehead before raking it through his white, messy hair, and turn to the side, while hundreds of thoughts surely ravaged his brain. "Your facepalming moment has always been the most adorable thing ever, little brother," he said placidly, the smallest of smiles tickling his lips. Why was he commenting on such a thing at such a time? He didn't even know what to feel anymore.

His brother turned back to him. "This is not the time for joking..." He sighed. "If he..." He shut his eyes tight. What a headache. "...Are you absolutely sure?"

"...Yes," he answered resolutely. He observed Tobirama observe him back. Neither Senju liked being picked apart, but right then, Hashirama felt like he really wouldn't mind if someone would just stop and pick him apart...read him...understand him.

Madara was no longer here for that.

"I..." Tobirama sighed again. "...I'm sorry," he said pathetically. He felt like such a moron. No wonder he'd felt Hashirama lose passion in his argument halfway through—Madara was gone, and Hashirama was just letting off some steam. Even if it had all been directed at him, he knew only he could've taken it... "I'm sorry...for everything I said..." His spirits sank low. There was no one in the world who enjoyed pissing off Senju Hashirama. Such a thing was not possible, and whether the provoker enjoyed it or not, it was an unthinkable thing to do to such an innocent, carefree spirit.

"No...I understand now. You were not wrong...but I..." Hashirama leaned his back against the wall again.

Tobirama stood in front of him, feeling awkward as hell. How does one comfort another human being? He hadn't repressed his emotions for all these years just to have them be of some actual use, at times like these...

He thought of the one girl he cared about, and tried to imagine what it felt like to be without her. If she were to just leave...to not exist in this village...to not exist in this world...

He immediately felt crushed at the thought...literally crushed, as though his heart had been stomped upon. He did not like the feeling one bit, and it suffocated him.

Hashirama looked at his brother from behind the strands of dark hair at that fell in front of his eyes. Why did Tobirama look so flustered? Was he...?

Trying to imagine Hashirama's heartache proved very effective in making himself go beyond empathy and reach a new level of sympathy. _He...lost him..._

_And they loved each other..._

He would try it. Hashirama did it all the time to him. But this time, he resolved, _he_ would initiate the gesture. Slowly, he reached out a hand toward his older brother...but before he knew it, his hand was roughly seized around the wrist, mid-air. "...?" He froze, and looked into his brother's dark brown eyes.

He was wrong. What could have made him think that Hashirama actually wanted a hug from him? Suddenly his pale eyebrows rose as Hashirama moved off the wall and stepped forward, circling his arms around the younger Senju.

"I do the hugging around here," he said numbly, yet pouting his lower lip slightly as he rested his chin against Tobirama's neck.

"...Anija..." Hashirama's long, dark hair fell in front of his face. He huffed.

"Just be quiet, Tobi-chan."

He sighed before speaking once again. "If he chooses to attack you or this village...know that I will not stand idly by..." he warned softly, stating his beliefs firmly, right here, right now. There would be no surprises.

"..." Tears formed in his eyes for the second time that day. "...I know..."

His brother felt a tiny water droplet fall onto his right shoulder. "..." His frown curled upwards, sorrowfully. He did not like it when Hashirama was sad—his chakra felt very depressed; and like with everyone, Tobirama could feel that through his own chakra that he was being affected, too.

"I don't understand him anymore..." he whispered, stroking the fuzzy, white hair with his left hand. "I wanted him to stay...our village..."

"...I know," Tobirama replied, his voice heavy with an emotion he could not describe.

His brothers were gone, his parents were gone, and now Madara was gone...only this dear younger brother of his and his close friend, Mito, were left.

"I miss him so much..." he admitted. His voice was steady, emotionless. Yet...the tears flowed. _Please come back._

—-

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**A/N**: Aaah! Done. I love getting feedback, so- if you have the time, please review! All thoughts are much appreciated.


	7. Jiboujiki 自暴自棄 Despair: I

**A/N**: Just a little warning. This IS a HashiMada fic. This chapter implies it, even though it ends up being a late realization. Much. Angst. But really, it should kind of be expected with these two.

Youtube the OST "Recollection" (NS movie 1) while reading this. I let it play as I was writing this chapter...

So sad... T-T

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—-

He could do nothing but cry. He stood there for a few long seconds before collapsing onto the ground, kneeling.

Dead.

His best friend was dead. And it was because of him. _I killed him._

His eyes stung and his throat burned; he was bleeding from the side of his head and his chakra was extremely low. He had other things to be thinking about...but the tears would just not stop. He had thought it would be easier. Killing enemy shinobi was something he had been trained to do from a very young age. His expression twisted into anguish. Madara had just been another enemy shinobi, who threatened the peace of their beloved joint creation. So...why...

_Why?_

Why did it feel so different? His chest tightened. Why couldn't Madara see? What was there to fight about? He just couldn't understand. Just couldn't understand.

_Madara..._

He knew that no matter what Madara had done, he would always love him.

_He's _dead! _What good are your feelings to him _now?!

Heavy rain began to pour from the darkened, ominous sky.

_What a way to show your loyalty. _

He soon found himself hyperventilating. He made no effort to calm down. He didn't deserve it. He would take whatever was coming to him...even it was death. As if being tested, he coughed roughly. Blood.

None of his injuries were fatal at this point...but he really didn't care. Now that the village was safe and Madara was taken care of...

_...taken care of..._

Konoha was safe, and Hashirama suddenly felt like he was no longer needed. Madara had been killed for the safety of the village. At that point, Hashirama's resolve shook. He'd said and had truly thought that he could kill his friend to protect their creation...but... He looked down at his dear friend with regret.

Madara had meant everything to him.

Unconsciousness began to sap away at him. He pulled out the blood-soaked sword from Madara's limp body and held it in both hands, staining them a deep shade of red. They trembled in exhaustion. He would do this quick. He had to catch up to him...Madara...he was getting away...

He pressed the sharp edge against his stomach, and began to slide it across with all the force he could muster. Suddenly, lightning struck just meters away from him. As if to get the message across, a deafening clap of thunder followed instantaneously.

The warning was loud and clear.

The rumble and the shock caused the bloody sword to fall out of his weak grasp. A thin line of red trickled down from across his torso.

There was...too much air.

The vessels in his body constricted to their minimum in a futile attempt to prevent the inevitable over-oxygenation. Futile...indeed. His eyelids became heavy as lead, and he fell forward, beside the body of his precious person. Madara's blank eyes stared at him lifelessly.

In his last few seconds, he reached out a shaky hand and gently stroked the long hair of his best friend. _Just let me die...so we can be together again...in a world where we can understand each other once more..._

_Just as we used to...when we were so young..._

—-

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**A/N**: Please review!

Hashirama's words at the end kill me... even if I wrote them T-T Don't die, Hashi.

Also, new chapter up for _The Burden of Knowledge_, focusing on the two Senju brothers and a bit of what Sasuke has to say.

Summary: [spoilers for Ch 618- ] Sasuke, Juugo, Suigetsu, and Orochimaru meet with the revived previous four Hokage. What does it mean to know everything? Gen; listed character names will generally reflect main characters for the most recent update. This follows each new manga chapter release.


	8. Haigun 敗軍 Defeat: II

—-

"Hashirama!"

The voice fell on deaf ears.

"Hashi—" He stopped short. The sight of his brother made his heart wrench. He was lying face-down on the ground, covered in blood. "Brother..." He quickly turned him over, and let a hand softly touch his cheek. Warm. The shallow movement of the shinobi's chest rising up and down felt like a huge burden suddenly being lifted from him.

He was still alive.

Relief surged through his body. Tobirama tenderly pressed his hand against his older brother's cheek. "Anija...Ani..." He pulled him forward, gently, into a kind of hug.

Hashirama's eyelids opened halfway. His gaze was cast downward. Tobirama could only see a lost soul. He recalled the time when Hashirama had uttered that word to him, when their situations had been reversed... His frown turned sad as he mumbled the word, "Fool."

He received no reply...not a single motion.

"Let's...go..." He gently lifted his big brother from the ground. As he did so, he turned his head to the right, and gazed at the woman with deceptively short, red hair for several seconds. His face was grave and apologetic as he stood up. He broke her gaze and walked past her, with Hashirama half in his arms. He was filled with immense guilt.

Her face was sad yet stoic as she remained standing there. She closed her eyes. A single tear fell down her cheek.

_Everything now..._

—-

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**A/N**: All reviews are highly appreciated!

New chapter update for _The Right Direction_: Minato has news for that "son" of his...Kakashi, the brat. :D


	9. Fukasu 更かす At Night: III

—-

In his last few seconds, he reaches out a shaky hand and gently strokes the long hair of his best friend. _Just let me die...so we can be together again...in a world where we can understand each other once more..._

_Just as we used to...when we were so young..._

His eyes opened suddenly as he gasped. His cheek was pressed against his forearms when he awoke. He lifted his head from the folded arms on his desk. He slowly calmed down, and took in his surroundings.

"What!?" Tobirama breathed suddenly, standing up straight, blinking away the remnants of a nightmare. Shit, he'd fallen asleep! He glanced around in alarm, holding out his katana beside him, ready to strike down whoever had caused that cry of surprise. His eyes landed on his older brother, who had awoken from his slumber at his desk. "Oh..." His eyelids began to slide down again at the seeing the lack of a threat.

"it's just me, Tobirama," came the slow, measured voice. He'd already fully rid himself of his own nightmare. "You can relax." He eyed his younger brother with a deep sense of protectiveness mixed with sober reality, after being forced to look at Madara again...dead...

"Ok..." He sighed, and almost instantaneously the katana dropped to the floor. He walked over to him and leaned his full weight through his hands against the edge of the Hokage's desk. Although still blurred with sleep, the ever-perceptive Senju stared down at his brother dutifully. "What's up?"

Even though Hashirama tried not to mention the name, it just fell out. Something about his brother made him spill his guts like this, every time. "Madara..."

Hashirama saw no movement from him, not even a twitch of a muscle, unlike what would have been at the sound of the name...before. _He is...relieved... _"Where has he been buried?" He looked away.

"Anija..." Tobirama frowned at him in concern. "He is gone. His body...must have been taken by the Uchiha..." Fatigue nipped at his memory. Being up for the past several nights tended to do that to him, and it was no different on missions. Senju were known for their endurance...but when it was time for a Senju to sleep, it was time for sleep.

"Gone?" Hashirama echoed the younger shinobi in shock. "What do you...?"

"...When Mito and I found you...he was already gone." He met his brother's eyes earnestly.

Did that mean...he had survived, then? "Tobi...could you sense his chakra, then?" He received a confused look. "At that time?"

"...Yes, a bit. His chakra was still heavy through the air, even after he had...passed..." His eyebrows slid forward. His brother had been a miserable wreck ever since he'd found him by the river... Even though Tobirama did not like Madara, he did grudgingly acknowledge the effects the Uchiha had had...still had...on Hashirama. He stood there, still leaning against the desk, gaze shifted to the right, as his mind wandered aimlessly in the past.

"..." Hashirama was silent. He became lost in own thoughts, as well. He was broken from them, however, when his brother's elbows buckled, and came just six inches away from a fluff of white hair tickling his face.

Tobirama caught himself quick. He stood up straighter, again leaning his palms against the desk's edge. "Sorry..." he mumbled. He then turned around and went to retrieve his blade and sheathe it away.

The elder Senju's eyebrows rose hopelessly. "Tobirama."

"...?"

"Go get some sleep," he said softly.

He turned his body and faced him again, surprised at this command. "What about you...? Are you...?" _...okay, now?_

"Thanks for taking over my duties these past few days..." He internally cursed at himself. "I should not have neglected them..." He met his eyes once again. "So really, thank you..."

"Uhh..." He fumbled for how to receive his brother's ramblings, frowning lightly in frustration at why his brain did not seem to be working.

Hashirama did a small smirk. Tobirama...was not used to taking compliments or thanks very well. Accepting and expressing gratitude was something he'd always been lacking in, anyway. _Along with those terrible diplomacy skills. _He noticed his brother's eyelids droop once again.

"..."

"Ok! Time to get back to sleep! Get rest Tobirama, because I have a task for you tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

It was already 3 A.M. "Hahh..." He winced comically. "No mercy..."

"That's right." He gave him a determined, yet friendly scowl.

He turned around and slid down against the desk's front into a sitting position. "Hai, anija."

"Okay..." he said. An idea began to form in his mind. He would... "Just after I take a quick nap...I'll..." And within seconds his head fell onto his arms once again, and he was out like a light. But this didn't matter to his younger brother, as he'd quickly fallen asleep, as well.

_Tomorrow I will..._

—-

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**A/N**: Let me know your thoughts! Reviews are more than welcome.

Also, thank you Han Striqe for the correction in the previous chapter, it is much appreciated.


	10. Jiyuu 自由 Freedom

**A/N**: Well , well, well...another warning, hm? If you're not here for the HashiMada, then I suggest you skip this chapter (just kidding, **don't**. I worked really hard on it D: )...for the light, fluffiness that is shounen-ai below...enjoy! *fangirl giggle*

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—-

The day was warm, the wind was soft, and the birds were flying happily across the medium blue sky, every once in a while disappearing behind the generous array of small, fluffy white clouds that were scattered so high above.

After a hard afternoon's work with the construction of their village, they both lay side by side along the river's edge.

One lazily began to converse. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Madara turned his head to the right. "Since?"

Hashirama gave him a look, and then returned his eyes to the sky. "Since we've been able to lie so peacefully here, just..."

"Without a care in the world?" Madara finished for him. He stared at him, and held his strong gaze with equal intensity, before eventually averting his eyes. He still felt Hashirama's eyes on him as he watched the river suddenly sparkle in delight. With each blinding sparkle of reflected sunlight seemingly directed only at him, he could hear its tempting words. '...Try it. Try it._ DO IT.'_ He smirked, and looked off into the left. _Yeah right. _

A small, wry smile played on Hashirama's lips. He watched him curiously. "What's so funny?"

"E-ehh—" Madara stuttered, broken from his daydreaming. "Nothing." He was silent for a a long moment. He could feel the tension in the air between them growing. The sun's rays were beating down on his cheeks harshly, flushing them a warm pink. He looked up at it, and squinted slightly. _You, too, are telling me..._

Hashirama's eyes could not leave Madara. He stared at him longingly. Fear tugged at him, making him have second thoughts about what he had to say. He turned on his side, just inches away from...

_You can't. _His heart began beating faster. His fingers tingled with the urge to reach out to the one so peacefully beside him.

Fortunately for him, it was instead Madara who decided to speak up again. "Did..." The heavy words felt clumsy as they escaped his lips, but were spoken with a soft smoothness that made the Senju shiver. "...Did you ever feel like—"

"Yes," came the immediate reply. Hashirama placed a gentle hand on Madara's left cheek. He kept it there for a split second before suddenly placing his lips on the other's, as well.

Madara's brain stopped working.

It couldn't be! This was too good to be true...

His best friend—_also _had such feelings?

Madara had long dismissed them as mere fantasies, something of a sort that could not happen, not ever...not in this lifetime. But now, here, next to the one he loved...

The relief Hashirama was feeling was beyond overwhelming..._Madara shared his feelings_. He was not being pushed away like all the other times... The thought made him very happy. He chuckled through the kiss.

Madara blinked. He immediately broke it off and held his hands on the Senju's shoulders in an attempt to push him away.

He mentally facepalmed. _Yep. Just jinxed myself. _

"Why did you laugh...?" he questioned, with a sinking feeling in his gut. So it was a joke, then. Why else would Hashirama do such a thing? "Is this some sort of emotional training?" Learn to accept rejection? He had already learned that lesson. Or had he...?

Madara stared at him intensely, searching his eyes earnestly.

"..."

"Ahahahaha!" Hashirama laughed.

The sound of his good-natured laughter gave Madara feelings of love and burning regret all at once. Which was it...?

"Madara, you are so insecure..." He wiped a tear from his own eye—the inevitable product of a hearty laugh.

"Oh, I'm the insecure one?" Madara scoffed. "You don't think what happened just now meant anything, did you?" He sat up.

Slowly, Hashirama did the same. He gazed at his best friend carefully. A look of incomprehension began to take over. _He did just ask if it was emotional training..._ He stifled a laugh once more at the mere thought, but grew serious again. _Does he really think that...? _He slapped his hands to his cheeks. _...Crap!_

Madara studied the face in front of him, and read into the soul of his beloved Senju. This time, after searching for just a moment, he easily found what he was looking for. "Just kidding!" he shouted playfully.

"..."

"Madara! Ahou! You really had me going there!" Hashirama's eyes bugged-out.

The Uchiha laughed at his expression. His own face relaxed at realizing what he now had...

No...what he had had all along...

Pure happiness overwhelmed him. There were no more barriers between them anymore. He held his soulmate's gaze with burning desire. They already loved each other unconditionally, and the sense of freedom at this realization sent a thrill of euphoria through their veins. Unable to take their eyes off each other, they both acted on the only thing on their mind.

The kiss was sloppy, and heated. Madara felt himself being pushed back, but he wouldn't have it. With one swift movement, he leaned forward and compelled Hashirama to the ground.

Hashirama fell back, surprised. He felt the hair beside his ear being ruffled softly. He let his eyes close again, smiling warmly through the kiss. This...was happening. Madara did love him.

Nothing could make the world brighter than it was at that moment. They were the two most powerful shinobi around...and the world was, for once, at peace; nobody could stop them. This was their moment and their moment alone to share.

_Nothing can touch us._

—-

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**A/N**: … :D Teeheehehehe. (I love these two) (Otp, yes)

Please review! I haven't really written romance (at all, actually =._.=), so let me know your thoughts on this one, and if I pulled this off okay.

Also...the last line sounded reminiscent of a song after I read it a few times, and it turns out there is a song by a singer named David Archuleta called "Everything and More". The lyrics are very nice, so I tried listening to it while re-reading this chapter, and ...not too bad! ^^ So yep.

...And! I just finished beta'ing QueenPotatos's Hashi/Mada story "_Who the Fck's Madara Uchiha ?"_ Which means... the first chapter is freshly edited and newly posted... perhaps go give it a read? :)


	11. Ike 池 Pond

**A/N**: Remember way back in chapter 5 when I said I'd written the next five to six chapters? Yep. Well, this is the last one of those five...**but,** halfway through posting those (chapter 6/7 maybe?) I wrote five to six more :3 Again, will have to space out, but I hope the reading is worth the relatively short wait! ...Finals are also killing me x]

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—-

The woman slowly approached the edge of the grass, and then stepped onto the water of the large pond. She stood in the middle of the water easily, and felt her hair blow in the soft wind.

She would never get tired of this. Walking on water...it was doable by any decent shinobi's standards. Something about the concept fascinated her, however. It gave her a sense of control of her surroundings. It was one of the few things she could control...

Unlike her relationship with Hashirama. He was unpredictable. He would just...not seem happy some days. Many days. Sometimes, she really doubted that he liked her in the same way that she liked him; ...the only one who seemed to be on his mind these days was Madara.

She was quite jealous, to say the least. Of course, there was not any officially established relationship between the her and the Senju, but...they were good friends! Really good friends. She thought that there might be more to them than that...but perhaps she was mistaken.

Feeling a presence approaching, she sighed. She did not feel like having company now.

"Oh! Mito-kun," said a deep voice in slight surprise.

Well, it wasn't too bad. It was just him, after all. "Hello, Madara-san."

His expression was somewhat taken aback. _Yeeesh_. "Icy cold."

"What was that?" She smiled.

"...Nothing," he said, turning his annoyance-filled eyes away to the left.

Her smile softened. "Come over here," she called, motioning toward her. She stretched her arms outwards into the air.

Curious, Madara approached her and stood beside her tall figure casually. Once a few seconds of standing on the water in silence had passed, he remembered her stretching, and asked, "Did you want to spar here?" Inner Madara grinned at the thought of sparring with his rival. _Heheheh. Maybe then she'll see that she is no match for me...and that Hashirama is mine._

The grin became visible on his face, however, and Mito was quick to notice. "Sure!" She smiled wide. "It's been some time since, hasn't it?"

"Well, let's get started, then." Madara stood, ready in his stance.

"Ok, let's—" She stopped suddenly and waved. "Hashirama!"

"EH?!" Not having sensed his presence, he whipped around to see if the Senju had been watching. Unfortunately, this also broke his concentration on the water, and he disappeared with a _splash! _

Mito smirked. Then she replayed Madara's antics in her mind once more, and could not contain herself. "Hahahaha!" She giggled, not believing her friend—and rival—had fallen for that.

A friendly, deep voice boomed from behind her. "Hello, Mito!"

She turned around. _Oh shit, it is Hashirama this time. _"Hashirama! Hello," she greeted, blushing slightly. She stood still as he made his way over to her and stood beside her, on the water. "I haven't seen you since yesterday morning."

He grabbed her hand and held it low. "I've missed you, Mito," he murmured, while caressing a few strands of her long, silky hair. He smiled when her face lit up at the closeness. He brought the hair up to the side of her face and leaned in close to kiss her on the cheek. Before he could, however, he felt arms wrapping around him in a hug. With a surprised expression, he hugged her back, lifting her off the water in the process. And then, just when he could tell she'd stopped using her chakra, he let go.

He jumped back to the water's edge, and folded his arms, reverting back to his original form. His black, messy locks shifted as he tilted his head back and laughed. "Hahahahaha!"

"…"

Meanwhile, underneath the water's surface, pure thoughts of murder and rage began to form. Mito's head popped up, and so did a scowl not hidden from view from behind the wet locks of her inextinguishable, fiery hair that were loyally plastered to her face.

"_MADARA!_ Your body is MINE!"

The shinobi in question giggled at her choice of words. "Any day," he flirted. "Although Hashirama is—"

"Right behind you," said a voice from behind him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. His widened eyes slid toward the left, but he did not turn his head. "H-hello, Hashirama."

The Senju's dark eyes landed curiously on the soaking, aggravated mess that was Uzumaki Mito's head. "You guys playing a game?" he asked brightly, as a smile spread across his face, oblivious to the previous antics of the two other shinobi.

They both fiddled for an answer.

"Ah...?"

"...Hmph."

—-

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**A/N**: Sorry but I love Madara more. Give me a look into more of Mito's history, Kishimoto-sensei, and perhaps I will change my mind. Otherwise, Madara wins this round }:D (or was it Hashirama?) Hm... xD

Let me know what you thought of this one! :3

New update for _The Right Direction_: the students of Team Minato gather for a brief moment, but two of the three are particularly excited...why is that? Find out in Ch 15 ^_^


	12. Kyoko no Kihaku キョコの気迫 Kyoko's Spirit: I

—-

"...You want to be what?" he asked, raising a dark eyebrow at the child. Well...not _child_. Little girl. Person. But...younger by four years...so...

A child.

"Aniki..." she whined. "You're not even listening."

"Aniki...? Is that some sort of young people talk?"

"Well I'm not going to call you anija, that's for sure," she retorted. "Saying 'aniki' is pretty common now, though...where have you been?"

"Oh? So? No more Madara _nii-chan_?" He laughed teasingly.

_I just want to be... _"You've never been nii-chan..." She stuck out her tongue. ..._Useful. _"_Ojii_-chan."_  
_

"Hm! Yeah, well..." he said. "I'm not your brother, you know. Hey! And I'm not _that_ old!" He looked at her in disbelief at her choice of words, but soon a heavier expression settled on his face as he thought of something. "You...hang around that Senju...Tobirama. Did he say something like this to you?" he asked suddenly, with a protectiveness that surprised even himself.

"What...no!" she said, and gasped. "No, actually...he's helping me out! He got really mad, too."

He repeated what she had once told him. "They called you useless," he said in a low voice, disgusted.

She looked away, ashamed at having been the victim of such childish verbal assault.

"Would you like me to torture them slowly for you?" He looked at her curiously. "Or can I cut them up into tiny pieces and send them back to their families in a box, gift-wrapped with a bow...Kyoko? Oh yes, that would be most cruel," he said evilly, his activated Sharingan glittering with red, murderous pleasure.

"..." The girl's face was expressionless. "No thank you," she said flatly.

"Well, you could do it yourself." He brightened up, ignoring her response. "Certainly, you're one of the few women to ever—"

"I know!" she cut him off, excited. "I'm actually super powerful, now that I think about it. And I'm going to use my power to protect everyone I love! Including you, aniki! And maybe..." she said sneakily, bumping her eyebrows up and down, "I will become the leader of this new alliance of clans, this so-called village." She slapped a hand onto his shoulder firmly and tilted her head back in evil laughter, imitating Madara.

"Ah, well. We'll see." He removed her hand from him gently. Females were nowhere close to being fully accepted as ninja yet...and even if they were strong enough, such a grand position of leadership could never be left to a kunoichi. He sighed, thinking it was time to have another discussion with his dearest friend. "I have things to do—I'll see you later." Before he decided to leave, however, he looked into her dark eyes levelly. "Be careful around that Tobirama...ok?"

She smirked, and deliberately tried to piss him off. "Madara nii-chan does not like Tobirama-chan much, does he?" she asked, laughing out loud at his expression.

"No. I do not."

"Ha."

He glowered at her. "...And that's Madara-sama to you. Hm."

"Oh, Mada-chan, don't worry, he's nice!" She earned another scowl at his name. "Plus, if he does anything stupid, I can beat him up myself! Hehe. I am quite strong, right?" She frowned dangerously and grinned, but to the older shinobi she just looked plain cute. "I can protect myself just fine! As well as anyone else I care about! That is my duty, right? I can do it."

Madara smiled at her, thinking of how much she resembled a female version of Hashirama. He guessed the Senju was useful for something. "Yes...you can."

* * *

...8 years later...

* * *

—-

The mission is a success, however...it comes with a price. Tobirama holds her tenderly. The air falls completely still.

"Please...even when I die..."

And it is suffocating.

—-

* * *

**A/N**: To be continued...


	13. Iware 謂れ Inception: II

—-

"Mito, have you seen...?" The man called out curiously. "I have some things to discuss..." he stopped, seeing her peacefully asleep at the table. He walked over to her and softly patted her shoulder and smiled. Paperwork sat in front of her where food typically should have been. He checked the time and then looked outside the window. The sun would set within an hour or so..

He exited his home and stepped outside, scanning the area around the family's residence. "Oi, Tobiramaaa..._Tobi-chan_," he called in high, sweet tone. "Where areee youu?" He placed a hand over his dark, tanned forehead to shield his eyes from the rays of sunlight that tried to poke them. _Oh, that's right. _He lowered his hand, slowly. _He'd gone on a mission recently. _He frowned, feeling ashamed at himself for not having realized it sooner. Now that he recalled, it had been nearly five days since he'd last seen his beloved younger brother. Being...one...of the founders—the leader of this great village—certainly had its demands, taking up much of his own time and attention; that, he knew. _But...five days...is way too long to complete even a dangerous mission, especially for him..._

Wisps of his long, dark hair blew carelessly in the wind as he wandered aimlessly away from the Senju neighborhood and through the streets. He passed several other neighborhoods, and then the Naka River. He soon found himself passing through the market district, occasionally sparing a glance and a nod at the shopkeepers who were outside, indulging in amiable chatter as they got ready to close up for the evening. Feeling hit with a sudden bout of depression, he sighed once he caught sight of one of the local bars. He slowed down almost to a halt as he pondered whether or not to step inside and just drown his sorrows away.

As if on cue, Madara's face floated past his field of vision. His long, unruly black hair felt so close, and his body just an arm's length away. He was smiling, then he was frowning, and then...he was dead. Hashirama closed his eyes and let out a steady breath, and stepped inside the bar.

When he was inside, he noticed how empty the place was. He found this odd, considering this was a Friday night. _Oh...right. _There was a festival going on in the southern part of town. Fireworks would soon be shot through the air, showering the sky with bright, exciting sparks of wonder that would inspire an all too familiar emotion to arise within the young.

Love.

Several members of the Uchiha and Sarutobi clans had volunteered to put on a fire show just prior to the yearly nighttime event. Not only were they the most skilled katon users in the village, he knew; they were also two of the first clans to join and help organize the alliance between the multiple clans they now housed, thus helping to bring peace to the land of Fire. It was only fitting that they were to help perform during the annual celebration of the founding of the village...Konohagakure's anniversary.

_Eight years..._

He opened his eyes and saw a short, wide glass sitting in front of him. He raised his head, looking curiously into the eyes of the bartender who stood in front of him. He blinked slowly, not even remembering making his way to the counter and taking a seat, let alone ordering something to drink.

"Here, you look like you could use it," his savior said, taking in the Hokage's expression, not even bothering to ask why the leader of their village was stuck inside a bar instead of taking part in the festival's activities. "And don't worry, it's on the house." After casting a casual, yet lengthy glance to his right, the heavy man gave him a small, lopsided smile with a subtle, nonchalant friendliness that made Hashirama feel even more alone.

He stared at his glass pathetically, and took it in both hands. No, he didn't want sake; the bartender had served up the perfect order without him even saying a word. He picked up the cold glass and brought the bourbon to his lips. Numbly, he drank it down, sip by sip, feeling but not savoring the ice that seductively pressed against his lips, nor the tortuous, steady burn trailing down his throat. Before he knew it, he'd downed a full second glass already. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bartender heading his way from behind the counter, picking up the bottle of dark, honey-colored liquid and readying it at hand. Just as the tip of the bottle neared his edge of his glass, however, Hashirama raised a hand slightly, as if to say, 'no more'. The nameless man's light-colored eyes narrowed, crinkling in sober agreement, and he simply nodded, returning himself to check on the needs of his few other customers scattered evenly throughout the pub.

Hashirama sighed, and turned his head to the right, staring out the now-darkened windows of the entrance. The bright neon 'open' sign flickered erratically, every so often refusing to light up the dark street outside for just a few sure seconds, a stiff reminder that being inside this place was no guarantee to be better than being outside it. Hashirama then turned his head to his left, and his heart almost stopped; surprises were not among things he took very well.

A man, ignorant of his surroundings, sat three seats away from him, lifelessly gazing past the drink that stood in front of his tired eyes. _Tobirama. _His fluff of spiky, white hair held traces of dirt, and appeared more disheveled than usual. The sharp red markings on his cheeks and chin were more numerous than usual, and were faded in various degrees. His typical river-blue armor was nowhere to be seen, and underneath where it should have been were a pair of dark pants, and a long-sleeved dark blue shirt that was rolled up just past his elbows. The tiny gem from his simple, plain necklace hung apathetically from his neck.

Without wasting a second, Hashirama tripped over his chair, cursing himself for the move, blaming it on the tipsy feeling that overcame him once he stood. He immediately was at his brother's side, and clutched his right shoulder with a strong, tanned hand. "Where have you—?" Words left him. The force he exerted on the man's shoulder lessened. He was not even being acknowledged. "What..." he began, feeling very worried at the sight that was in front of him. His heart sank. "What happened...?" he asked, quieter this time. "Are you..." _Obviously he's not okay. Just shut up..._ His eyebrows slid forward, and up, in a sad, concerned frown. He looked at him earnestly.

_Right now...he can't even see you..._

Hashirama sat down on the stool to his right, not once taking his eyes off the younger shinobi. He reached over gently, thumbing at the unusual red markings on his pale face. Some of them smeared, some disappeared, and others remained firmly in place, swelling ever-so-slightly in defiance, as if to ward off his familial touch.

"Tobirama...what happened on the mission?" his elder brother asked gently, trying extremely hard not to let his ever-present worry tinge his low voice. He waited several long seconds, and waited some more. He did not receive an answer. Perhaps that was too broad of a question. "Did you fail...?" Oops. _Too narrow._

At this, the younger Senju slowly turned his head and met his older brother's dark eyes. They locked gazes for just seconds, before Tobirama broke contact, lowering his eyes to the open palm that lay on Hashirama's lap.

_"__Please, Tobirama...even when I die...find a way to let me live..." She coughs, drenched in her own blood. Her dark hair settles against the grass comfortably, marking its permanent spot on the ground, just outside the depths of the thick forest behind her._

_He looks at her. He is scared. He doesn't know much medical jutsu, not to the extent of his only brother. He has already tried what he can. His strength is nearly gone, chakra reduced to nothing, and she is not getting any better. He curses himself to have let this happen. _

_"__If it's to...protect the village...I want to do...whatever I can..." She meets his eyes faintly, but a strong fire burns in her dark red orbs, and nearly melts all of his fears away. She makes it seem that this is only temporary, and that she will be back, another time. "So please...use me! You know... that I am powerful enough." She feels Tobirama grasp her hand firmly, comfortingly, desperately._

_His breath comes faster as hers slows down. "Kyoko..." He watches her eyes begin to slide shut. The mirror he once saw in her eyes no longer reflects. Her sight...her dreams...they are all broken, trapped inside the mirrors that were her eyes._

_Don't die, don't die, don't die..._

_"__Do not forget me, my dear Senju," she whispers as she fully closes her darkened eyes. A small smile spreads across her face through the pain. She feels her forehead being stroked, and her medium, shaggy black locks being cleared away from her face. "Do not forget...that I, ...Uchiha Kyoko...has ever held a place in your heart. Because...you will always hold a place in mine..." Her throat constricts, and she coughs again. Death is near. She can feel it tugging away at her consciousness. She opens her coal-colored eyes for the final time, and stares at her lover longingly, resolving to damn herself to hell if she dared break his gaze before her time was up. She would hold on for as long as she could. Soon the face above her becomes nothing but a pale, red blur. No, no, no...she does not want to die...not yet..._

_She feels tiny water droplets fall softly onto her cheek. Just as the world fades into eternal darkness, she realizes Tobirama is crying. She says in a soft, almost inaudible voice, her final words. "Let me live...find a way..." I want to be...useful again..._

_He sobs, and the tears leave a straight, clean line down his bloody, dirt-covered cheeks. "I'll miss you..." he whispers. _

_Her bloodied lips remain curved into that small smile. "...I want...to see you...again," she whispers back, not certain if the words had made themselves be heard. 'I love you so much...' Her eyes remain open.  
_

_Tobirama's hand rests against her neck, nervously. He feels her weakened heartbeat cease completely. He closes his eyes._

_She dies. _

—-

Hashirama saw a tear form at the edge of his brother's eye. "Tobirama, you can tell me..." he prodded gently, steadily, while secretly worried out of his mind. What could have happened that could cause him to act like this? So closed up...

_"__Please...even after I die...find a way to let me live..."_

He didn't know anyone who could cause Tobirama this much pain. There was nothing on the planet that could make Tobirama act like this...not unless something had happened to him, his one and only brother... but Hashirama, he knew, was fine...he was sitting right here, after all...

Returning his hand to his little brother's face, Hashirama gently caught the warm tear that escaped from his eye with the tip of his finger. He felt the thick, pale eyelashes brush against his finger as Tobirama's eyes closed shut. _Oh, no. _"A woman..." he said in a low, grave voice. Liquor blurred his judgment as he searched to adjust his tone as necessary. Was he speaking okay? Did he say the words with the right amount of compassion, or did they sound cold and unfeeling? "Who was it...?" Again he cursed at himself, for not knowing who had went along with his brother on such a dangerous mission; for not knowing who his friends were; for not knowing about his interests; for not looking out for him; for not realizing what burdens his brother had been carrying; for not having cared, before...

He landed his right elbow on the cold countertop of the bar, and placed his palm on his forehead, frowning into the faint shadows of his hand. Why was he always so blind? He could never see Madara's pain...nor could he see his own brother's...

"When did you get back?" he demanded quietly, not caring about the tone he used anymore. He wanted answers, and if he had to be selfish, then dammit, he was going to ask all the questions he wanted to. He was the Hokage, for God's sake! He was supposed to know these things. How long had Tobirama been gone, and how long has it been since his return? He would've asked Toka; she would've known, if it wasn't for... "Why didn't you report to me earlie—"

With a shaky breath, Tobirama responded, "...Two hours ago," his quiet voice trampled upon by Hashirama's own.

Once again, Hashirama was at a loss for words. Once again, he felt stupid, and inconsiderate. Once again, he kicked himself for it. Come on...Tobirama is supposed to be the one bad with words, with only perception as his main interpersonal strength. For himself, he knew it to be the opposite.

Tobirama first perceived the other side's feelings and intentions, and then came up with his own way in speech to either effectively counter an argument or consolidate mutual beliefs; but Hashirama first spoke straight off the bat with his own words, and eventually won over the other side, whether they were in argument or not. This was true for everyone he had ever encountered...with his father and Madara being the only...blatant exceptions. Otherwise, manipulation appeared to be a strength at such a level seemingly reserved only for the sole mokuton user in existence—the Shodai-hokage, co-founder of the great village that was Konohagakure.

What was he _doing?_

Instead of comforting his brother at his time of loss, he was sitting here, uselessly reflecting on their personalities. "Why don't we go home, brother..." he suggested softly. Gravely, he tilted his head down. _Uchiha. That must be the person he mourns right now. That must be the only reason he does not mention the name._

_Out of respect..._

_...For me..._

He didn't budge. "No, anija..." He sighed, and rubbed his face with his left hand. "I will stay here..."

Hashirama frowned. "Don't be foolish. You are injured, and yet you stay here, drinking your sorrows away," he scolded quietly. He eyed the glass in front of him, which stood completely untouched.

_No...that would be me..._

At the lack of further response, he continued, "Tobirama. Why don't we go to the festival together? Mito's fast asleep—she's been busy all day, I don't want to wake her..." he said, feigning amusement. "You know how cranky she can be if you interrupt her beauty sleep!"

His brother had had enough. "Hashirama," he said levelly, his voice devoid of emotion. Calling him by his first name certainly ceased his ridiculous, well-intentioned banter. "You should go..." he said softly, not wanting to burden his brother with his inexorable heartache. As great as his perception was, however, it was completely off the mark this time. Hashirama had no intention of simply leaving him. Of all things, he knew especially what it felt like to lose the one he loved...

_Madara...if only you knew that it was one of yours...you would have seen Tobirama that did not hate your clan. That may not have stopped you from leaving, and he may still have been overbearing...and stupid...but..._

_You had a choice. You could have stayed. _

_Why couldn't it be like this for me...?_ Hashirama had wished, so wished that if he were to lose Madara again, he would have rather had it been peacefully in sleep, or in battle, against a common enemy...not against each other.

Tobirama had been there for him when he had lost his soulmate those years ago. Hashirama was going to make sure he returned the gesture. "...Do you want to stay here?" he asked.

_"__You know that I am powerful enough. So, please...use me!"_

_"__If it's to protect the village..."_

Kyoko's words echoed in the younger Senju's mind. They refused to leave his head, eternally haunting him with her final wishes. She wanted to come back...and he wanted to bring her back. He wanted her to stay here. Their relationship would not be kept secret from the entirety of her clan any longer. Tobirama, who was seemingly mistrustful of them and equally mistrusted _by_ them, was nowhere welcome near the family. One certain Uchiha had made sure he'd stayed away. Setsuna, her older brother, had discovered their friendship...and ultimately, their relationship. He had always been suspicious of the Senju clan from the start, after all, with the exception of Hashirama, perhaps.

"She wants to stay here," Tobirama answered distantly, as he gazed upward, lost in his memories.

Hashirama looked across at him, mild curiosity marking his somber face after hearing his reply. "..."

His brother lowered his head wearily, and blankly stared straight ahead, sadly, resolutely._ I will find a way to bring you back._ "Thank you, brother..." Secretly appreciative of his clumsy brother's misplaced compassion, he turned again and met his dark eyes equally. Something indescribable sparked in them.

"Tobirama...?"

_I promise._

* * *

—-

As Tobirama's eyes settle on Madara, they share a brief moment of understanding. Madara, who had learned of it after his "death", despises this jutsu, and expresses his distaste for it. Little does he know that his old rival now shares his views. As Tobirama internally vows to put a stop to this world-scale war, vows to bring Madara down, he realizes that although his jutsu could never be used to bring back his dear Kyoko, it has brought himself back, twice...

He has created a terrible jutsu, one that has now been perfected, that dutifully serves its terrible, carefully-designed function; but at the same time, it comes with an empathic, retributionary side effect. It is the side effect that is unavoidable, unforeseeable—a self-correcting mechanism; what has been used to destroy, is simultaneously being used to fix.

For what purpose? For what purpose does he serve here, existing alongside the living? What good is he to the shinobi world now?

Now, he realizes, he knows. As he looks across the vast expanse of shinobi, alive and dead, hurting and healed, scared and angry, and anxious and determined, he knows. As he fights alongside his comrades for the final time, he knows; as he dies for the final time, never to be reached again, he knows. And for that wisdom now gained, even if so terribly late, he is truly grateful.

—-

* * *

—-

And this is how kinjutsu begins...that jutsu begins with the dreams of the woman known as Uchiha Kyoko, older sister of Kagami...wanting to be useful to her family, and to her village, hoping to be brought back again, sometime, to aid the people she loves. Unfortunately, much later, her body is nowhere to be found, thus rendering the existence of the new jutsu futile (with the exception of having it widely agreed upon for use in other powerful shinobi for their suicidal, battlefield-clearing techniques, of course). Tobirama hates each time he has to use it. And so when Orochimaru first uses it to bring him and his dear brother back from the dead, he hides his fury behind his feelings of joy at being able to see his beloved student Saru once again, after that abrupt goodbye before the suicide mission, so long ago...

—-

* * *

**A/N**: So, I've always thought it curious that Tobirama knew so much about the Uchiha... and now we know why. I also can't imagine him creating such a jutsu without a very good reason, and I don't want to think that all the things he must have done to create it were solely for bring back shinobi he had no close connection with. Thus, this chapter was born!

* * *

As typical of any fan-fiction on here, none of the characters in this story are of my own creation, with the exception of Kyoko.

One common meaning of the name Kyoko is "mirror"- the same is with the name Kagami.

The chapter title is "Inception" is to indicate the birth (oh that is ironic..) (just realized that after reading this three times ok) of the Edo-tensei jutsu

So! I really hope you liked this chapter! I spent soo much time on it.. x_x And don't forget to review... your thoughts and general feedback are very much appreciated! ^-^


	14. Yukashii 懐しい Want to Know!

**A/N**: Aah, the housing situation is off, I know. Back to being kids time! :D

* * *

—-

After a hard day's work of maintaining their clan's border, it felt nice to come back home to his family. Killing people on a daily basis was no easy task; father had made sure to teach him that well. At only eight years old, he had learned many things well, in fact. Like the fact that...

Madara was better than him.

"Pfft." He scowled, and crossed his arms over his chest. He marched over to the common area of the home, set down his katana, and subsequently removed his sandals. The area of the room was still flooded with the light from the evening sun. He liked it. He liked the way the shadows formed behind certain pieces of their sparse furniture. He liked the way the light made things shine just right; and when you stood at the perfect angle...oh man. The view was just mesmerizing.

Izuna really liked the light. A _lot_.

With a happy smile, he sighed, and wandered through the home, eager to find his father. "Otou-san!" he called. He made his way to his parents' room. "Otou—" he said, stopping when he saw his father sleeping on the futon. He ran over to him and knelt down beside him, placing a small hand on his shoulder, attempting to wake him from his early slumber. "Father, father! I am home!" he said.

"..." Tajima's coal-colored eyes slowly opened, and a low groan escaped him as he shifted, trying to sit up. He stared into space for a bit before turning his head and looking down at his eager young son. Heavenly rays of light spilled onto the boy from behind the man, where the sun was nearing its last moments for the day, squeezing out every last drop of warmth it had to offer before it disappeared into the long, cold depths of the night. Izuna's face was lit like an angel. "What is it, Izuna?" he asked gruffly.

"How does the Sharingan work, father?" he asked curiously. "I mean, how do you get it, exactly?" He recalled his delight at seeing Madara achieve his just the week before.

His father placed a weary hand over his eyes before slowly dragging it down his face. "Don't worry, Izuna. You will get yours, too, at some point...you are a good ninja."

The boy pouted, and sat back onto the wooden floor, crossing his arms. "That's not what I was asking, father."

An eyebrow quirked up at him. "Oh?"

He continued. "What I _meaaann_, is _how_ do you get it? What makes it just appear out of nowhere?" He studied his father's face, checking for any hints of deceit before he got his answer._ If I get it, then surely I can win against Tobirama this time!_

"Hah...Izuna. How old are you?" he questioned flatly.

"I am eight years old, father," the little Uchiha answered matter-of-factly. He paused. "Wait, don't you know that already? Or _do_ you! Did you forget how old I am? Because I know you haven't forgotten how old broth—" A hand was placed heavily on top of his head.

"Relax, boy. The Sharingan is something that only happens to a select few of our clan...you may or may not ever get it," he said in a stern, concrete tone. His face betrayed no expression.

Izuna's eyebrows came forward. "But didn't you just say—"

"...Then?" The rays of light were fading now, and only a faint glow could be seen on the boy's face. Tajima grimaced, lifting himself off the futon and into a standing position, and said, "You will understand later, Izuna. If I tell you right now, you may not understand. I want to be able to teach you properly..." He saw disagreement begin to take form on his face. "...and when the time comes," he assured, "...I _will_." He held his shoulder achingly as he moved away from the boy and proceeded to leave the room.

Izuna noticed the way his father held himself and frowned. Still, jealousy was on his mind. "But you are telling big bro all these things—"

"If you already know so much, then why are you asking, son?" He turned to face him as he stood in the doorway. "Right now...it is _his_ time..." He sighed heavily. "Be grateful that you have even survived to your age. Have some respect for your fallen brothers..." He let his stern look linger for a moment, and then rubbed his forehead before exiting into the hallway. Two hours of sleep was not enough to cure his exhaustion after a battle with several Senju and Akimichi shinobi. This time he'd only had his brother and cousin along with him, and they were not doing very well. "Go..."

He stopped, and turned back once more. He was surprised to see Izuna still standing there, several feet away from him. "Go get your brother, will you...Izuna? I need to talk with him."

Izuna stood there, pouting slightly, before quickly removing the frown from his face, remembering what his father had just told him. "Yes, father." He sturdily turned around and proceeded to exit the abode in pursuit of his older brother.

Meanwhile, Tajima returned to go find his wife. Right now, she needed him more...

Her illness had been eating away at her, slowly, but now...things were beginning to turn for the worse, at a much faster rate than before. Grimly, he reached her closed door before taking in a breath, trying to appear happy. A reason...what reason would he need...

Madara.

Unlocking his Sharingan. She hadn't been told yet, due to her state before... A smile came upon his lips. Yes, that was...reason enough, for sure.

Before his eldest son would come to see him, he slid open the door and slipped inside for a brief moment to greet her.

—-

* * *

Tobirama paced back and forth across the grass outside his home. What was going on...what was going on... He stopped suddenly, noticing a familiar presence nearby. He turned his head to the side and saw Hashirama approach him, wearing a curious expression upon his face.

"Tobi? What are you doing?"

He stared at him intensely for a moment, and then returned to his pacing.

"...?" His brother raised his eyebrows. He tried to enter their home, but whenever he got near, Tobirama crossed his path. Back and forth, back and forth...

Hashirama sighed and began to peel off his armor, but decided to let his headband stay. "Tobirama? Is there something you need to tell me?" He tossed the armor onto the ground in front of the small abode.

"Yes..."

He continued to pace, back and forth, back and forth...

"Actually...no."

More pacing.

Hashirama scrunched up his face and whined at him, "Aah! Tobirama! Cut it out, you're making me nervous!"

At this, he stopped. He opened his mouth to say something, but after reading his elder brother's expression, he closed it, and resumed his pacing.

Hashirama fell onto the grass in a criss-cross position and performed the most epic facepalm he could. "Tobbiii~ra~ma~..." he groaned, looking up at his brother through his fingers. "Spit it out already!"

_So bad..._

_He is so bad with words..._

"Argh!" Tobirama grabbed his hair into his hands and pulled downwards. "You—"

His brother perked up. Now they were making some progress. "Okay..." he said slowly. "I...?"

"You..." Tobirama's eyebrows slid forward before he shook his head, sending his white hair into a more chaotic mess than usual. "M-Madara..."

"Now we're getting somewhere..." he said, completely unfazed by the name that fell from his brother's lips. _Now...all you have to do...is finish the sentence! _"I know you can do it, Tobi-chan!" he urged, in a falsely enouraging tone.

His younger brother glared at him, unintentionally making his brother hold back a snicker at seeing his adorable face trying to look threatening. "This is not funny, anija."

He raised his eyebrows once again. "Oh dear. A coherent sentence. Are you able to continue now, or can I just go inside and fall into the deepest slumber imaginable...?"

Frowning, Tobirama blinked at his brother's awkward phrasing. "Uhh..." He closed his eyes, and slapped his own hand to his head. "Aahh."

Tired by the events of the day, Hashirama sighed once again and stood up, making his way to move past his still-pacing little brother. However, just as he neared the entrance, Tobirama stood in front of him, blocking his way. Hashirama frowned down at him. _He has been like this all week. _"What _is_ it already, little bro?" He settled a hand onto his brother's shoulder firmly, warmly. "What is eating you up so badly?"

Standing face to face, or rather face to chest, Tobirama stood quietly for a moment. He stared at the impeccable cleanliness on the front of Hashirama's shirt, kept spotless due the armor having been in place. "That week, when we met Izuna, his father and his brother...you remember?"

"Yes," he answered dryly, still staring into Tobirama's eyes which were focused only on his shirt. He looked down for a second. Was there something on there?

"...Just how long had you been seeing him?" he finally asked, and then looked up to meet his brother's eyes. He received a scowl in return.

"What, you hadn't been following me the whole time?"

"Obviously not," he retorted, frowning back at him. They stared at each other coarsely.

"What is it about that day that's pissing you off?"

His frown deepened. "I'm not mad. I just don't understand something..."

"...?" Hashirama's expression turned curious again.

"When Uchiha Tajima threw his tanto at me, you stopped it." His eyebrows slid forward in confusion. "...Why?"

"..." Hashirama slowly became horrified. Was he seriously asking that...? "What do...?"

"I mean, instead of throwing that rock to stop the blade, why didn't you try to cancel out the rock that Madara threw? Izuna would have died, right then!"

"...But...so would you..." Hashirama looked down at him seriously, incredulously. He was now genuinely horrified. He felt an involuntary stinging in one of his eyes.

"So?"

His expression became sad. "Tobirama...even if it meant winning against an enemy...I could never..." He examined his brother's expectant face with a steady, firm resoluteness. "There is no way in _hell_ I would trade your life for an enemy's...I want you to know that, Tobirama..."

"...But..."

"No exceptions!" he raised his voice. "You saw what Madara did! He did the _exact_ same thing! He could've stopped _my_ rock from hitting the tanto aimed for you...but he didn't. You see? Brothers care about each other." He placed his other hand on the younger Senju's shoulder, as well. "Madara is not a bad person. Just like I did, he chose to save his own, instead of letting you _both_ die." He studied the eyes of his little brother. In them was a mixture of confusion, understanding, relief, and love. It must be father... "You would've done the same, wouldn't you?"

Tobirama looked away, gradually realizing the kind intentions a family could have upon each other. He felt somewhat foolish in Hashirama's warm, almost paternal presence. It was like...he was being forgiven...for something...

"Yes..." he answered positively.

"So you see? If you would've looked out for me, then you should know that I would have done the same. Common sense, Tobi-chan!" _He is so similar to how mom was...not just in appearance...I wonder if he remembers her as well as I do?_

"...Thank you..."

Hashirama smiled gently. "Now...was _that_ what you had wanted to say, all this time?" _Had he just wanted to thank me, all along...?_ He removed his hands but then placed one on top of his head, ruffling up his shorter, snowy locks. "Tobirama..." He chuckled. "You are so awkward. You know that, right?"

"Pfft," he responded, and stepped out of Hashirama's way, reaching to retrieve the boy's carelessly tossed red armor from the ground. He picked it up, examining the metal surfaces carefully, and then turned around, watching his brother step inside.

_If I could see Madara again...I'd ask about his brother..._ Hashirama sighed, and wondered, just as he did every day since the week past, if he would end up crossing paths with the Uchiha ever again.

—-

* * *

**A/N**: Every time I see little Izuna...it's impossible to not see Sasuke.

Anyway, so uhh... some foreshadowing at the end, there... *laughs maniacally*

Feel free to leave a review! And while you're at it, got any thoughts about these kiddos, in general? :D


	15. Yume to Kaiyou夢海洋Dreams & Forgiveness: I

—-

Well, little Senju Hashirama had certainly gotten his wish.

"Ugh!"

Madara stared fiercely into his former friend's dark eyes. Their swords clashed for the fifth time that morning. Sweat dripped down from the backs of their necks. The swords shook in their strong, yet trembling hands. After quickly retreating, they both moved forward again and eventually found themselves locked in a battle of strength.

"I don't...want to have to fight you, Madara..." Hashirama said, breathing heavily. He jumped back as Madara did the same, and skidded to a halt. "This is enough..."

"Neither do I..." Madara finally admitted. "But it doesn't matter. And that's _Uchiha_ Madara, to you." His Sharingan glinted dangerously in the bright morning sunlight before the two ninja found themselves thrust into thick forest, where the sun's warm rays suddenly became something of a rarity.

Hashirama frowned. Several years had passed already since that day when Madara had declared himself his enemy. Would this never stop...? He clenched his teeth as he took a blow to the stomach; he really needed to stop getting distracted in front of him. But he is...

Taking no pleasure in this fight, Madara huffed before blocking the next blow aimed for him. Was this life? Was this how it was supposed to be, forever hating opposing clans while they were hired to fight them, never finding peace? He had no time to think on the subject further as he was suddenly pushed back against the trunk of a tree. He shut his eyes at the force, and when he opened them, he saw Hashirama standing in front of him. Even though they were of equal height at the time, it appeared to Madara that the Senju was the taller.

"What do you want?" he said angrily, not liking being pushed into a corner. He began to peel himself off the tree and attempted to land a punch on the other boy's face.

Hashirama caught the fist aimed at his face with ease, and held it in the air beside him. "I want to talk with you."

"About what? The lovely weather we've been having?—"

The boy's eyebrows rose. "Oh, you've noticed it, too? The past few days have been so nice, but today it got cold again—"

Madara scowled, and looked to the side. "Stop it, Senju. This is no time to try to bond with me as my _friend_." He noticed Hashirama stop his banter, and both pairs of dark eyes met equally. "We are enemies now." He narrowed his eyes. "We've _been_ enemies."

Not the least bit relaxed at seeing Madara deactivate his Sharingan, he continued to speak. "Do you...remember what we used to talk about? Back in the day?"

"I said stop it, Hashirama! All of that talk...was nothing but bullshit. Look at what our families are doing now!"

He frowned, hurt. That was obvious enough. "Yes, I know! My clan is being killed by yours!"

"And mine is being killed by _yours!_"

"..." They stared at each other harshly...an expression that only close brothers could understand.

_Brother...?_

"...And so? What are we doing, now? Madara." Hashirama felt a chilly breeze cool his head; his headband, soaked with sweat, became cold, and goosebumps rose all over his body at the airy sensation. He unconsciously gripped Madara's fist a little tighter at the cold feeling.

The Uchiha felt the grip around his hand tighten, and took it in offense. "_We_...are not doing _anything_."

Not really listening, Hashirama let his mind slide back in time. He was remembering...

—- —- —-

_'Adults are idiots_,' Tobirama had said bluntly. '_If we want to put an end to this senseless killing, we should just make a truce._'

'_But how can we form a truce? What about our own comrades who got killed? Neither side will be able to forgive the other_,' Itama had responded. _'There will always be retribution.'_

'_Keeping talking like that and we'll be burying you real soon_,' Tobirama had scolded gravely. '_There will never be any peace if both sides keep on seeking vengeance. You and the adults are becoming too passionate. What we need to do is repress our emotions, and set in place some rules. Only then will we be able to avoid all this useless fighting._'

—- —- —-

Hashirama looked into his old friend's deep, dark eyes and searched them earnestly, ready to speak just as bluntly. "Madara...I think we should talk to our clans about making a truce."

"..." His former friend was silent for a moment while he recalled a conversation he'd had with his younger brother just last year.

—- —- —-

_'You should have _heard_ the ridiculous things that Tobirama said to me, today. He's decided he wants a truce,' _Izuna had said. '_Can you believe that, big brother?_' After some silence, Izuna then stared at him suspiciously. '..._Has his brother talked to you, as well?_'

Madara shook his head. Hashirama? '_No._'

_'If he does, brother...don't listen to him. Mother told me that she once tried the same thing when she was younger, with Tobirama's uncle...they had secretly been friends! But then...the Senju double-crossed her!'_

This had surprised Madara. '_What?_'

_'She was telling me stories...a little before she died...' _Izuna had returned his piercing black eyes at him, looking him seriously._ 'That's why I know I can't believe Tobirama. The Senju clan _cannot_ be trusted,' _he finished strongly.

—- —- —-

He broke the short silence, and spoke blandly. "Do not speak to me of such useless things." He pulled his hand back from him.

This shocked the Senju, and made him furious. "_It's not useless!_ My brothers _died_ thinking we could maybe have some peace in this godforsaken world of shinobi!"

Madara met his friend's sorrowed gaze, seeing the tears that must be stinging his eyes, and felt his own spirits sink low. Did Hashirama actually think he wanted any part of this? This was life! There was no other way. He felt the presence in front of him rage with a burning fire of hope.

He wanted to reach out and touch his face, and tell him that this was all pointless, and that they should not be standing here, hiding from the others, doing nothing but drowning themselves in such...idle chatter.

_If only he could tell him... _

He decided not to speak the other half of his mind. "Hashirama...it is an impossible dream," he said finally, leaning in close, leaving almost no space between them. "Don't try to drag me into this nonsense, again..."

The young Senju stared intensely at his friend, unaware of the effect he was having on the Uchiha. "Well, when you change your mind, you know where to find me..." But Madara slipped away from him, just as easily as the other times Hashirama had tried to get a moment like this with him.

"I won't give up," he asserted firmly, with not only his mouth but his eyes, the fire in them unwilling to falter at his friend's words. He watched, helpless, as his friend walked away and spoke once more.

"For now, I will leave you...and while I may know where to find you, I do suggest that you do not try to find _me_." He let the cold words dangle icily in the air as he left, not letting his heartbreak ever be known to this...hopelessly kind Senju.

_He does not want to be reached..._ Hashirama closed his eyes as he felt the cold wind caress his face, unable to tell whether nature offered the gesture in comfort or hurtful finality. He shivered, and opened his eyes. _I will reach you someday. _

_That is a promise._

—-

* * *

That night, another Senju had a tough time sleeping.

_'Adults are idiots_,' he says plainly. '_If we want to put an end to this senseless killing, we should just make a truce._'

'_But how can we form a truce? What about our own comrades who got killed? Neither side will be able to forgive the other_,' Itama says back thoughtfully.

He glares at him. '_Keeping talking like that and we'll be burying you real soon_,' he scolds gravely. '_There will never be any peace if both sides keep on seeking vengeance. You and the adults are becoming too passionate. What we need to do is repress our emotions, and set in place some rules. Only then will be be able to avoid all this useless fighting._'

—-

_"__Itama!"_

_"__No..." Hashirama falls to his knees beside the young boy. "No, no..."_

_Tobirama stands beside the two. His face is a silent mixture or grief, and disbelief. After a few minutes of grieving, he places a hand on Hashirama's shoulder. "Anija, we need to leave..."_

_Suddenly, something doesn't feel right. He gazes at Itama's corpse, and then back at his three family members who'd arrived with him at the field. And then he realizes._

_He hadn't been there. He _wasn't. There.

—-

He awoke, gasping. The boy sat up, and stared at the wall in front of him, sweat covering his face and hair. _Stupid dream..._

He got up and quietly exited the Senju home for the second time that night, hoping the cold, punishing winter air would stop this foolishness that had been plaguing him these past few years. He found an even colder spot on the ground outside their home, and then sat on it, attempting to meditate or whatever it was that Hashirama had been trying to get him to do. So he tried; but all that kept blocking his mind was Itama, and what he had said to him just weeks before his death.

And then...Hashirama.

—-

_He can see that he is very upset; so is he._

_"__How could you say something like that to him? Who says things like that?! And now look, we've already buried him!" Tears fall down from Hashirama's eyes. _

_He can't feel anything but guilt. He only stares back at his brother's face, trying not to look bothered by his words._

_"__Why don't you say anything, now? Or are you going to tell me that I can't mourn his death, either, and that I'll end up just like him! Am I becoming too passionate, Tobirama? Is that wrong?"_

_He cannot come up with a reply. He does not want to. He has nothing to say, and only wants to break down into tears, and be forgiven for his inconsideration. He wishes to be surrouded by Kawarama, Itama, and Hashirama, just sitting together like they used to. Training together like they used to. Having fun like they used to. Just being brothers._

_But that cannot happen; Kawarama is dead. And now, so is Itama. _

_Tobirama keeps a straight face as he is subjected to Hashirama's distress. _

_"__You should really learn to be nice! Have some_ feelings_, for once! Itama is _dead_ and you have not shed a single tear!" He stares at him hard. Frustrated and unable to stay any longer, he turns his back on him._

_His only brother can only stand there, and when Hashirama turns and leaves, the tears come; and they do not stop. He cries, alone._

—-

A few, quiet minutes of reflection went by when he suddenly became startled by a person standing beside him. He looked up to meet his father's dark eyes.

"What are you doing out here, boy?" his deep voice asked, sounding annoyed and concerned at the same time.

"I can't sleep, father," he said bluntly, returning his gaze in front of him, halfheartedly studying the numerous trees in the forest several hundred yards in front.

"I mean, what is with that position you're in?" he questioned, staring down at Tobirama's crossed legs and overall calm posture. That boy wasn't one for sitting look so relaxed and all that nonsense. In fact, he couldn't recall a time when this boy—his wife's doppelganger, he liked to think affectionately—wasn't standing around with his arms crossed, tagging along with Hashirama wherever he went.

Tobirama and his older brother...they were like mother and son to each other, almost; except, their roles would continuously reverse. Tobirama would follow him like a lost duckling, but when Hashirama needed his head on straight—and _several_ times he did, that boy!— then Tobirama would step up and hold him back, at the same time preventing himself—their own_ father_—from knocking some real sense into him, into that constantly daydreaming genius son of his.

"It is a form of meditation; Hashirama thought I could benefit from it. But so far," he said, mumbling softly, "it's not working at all."

"...And is there a reason why you're meditating out here, in this cold temperature, and at this time of night?"

"I can't sleep," he repeated simply.

His father shook his head. "Ah, well..." he said, turning around, and then stopping. Hashirama was leaning against the doorway of their home just a few yards in front of them. He sighed. "I will be going back inside; however...I believe your brother wishes to say something to you." He turned away from his youngest son and stepped back inside their home, moving past his eldest without a word. Once inside, he watched Hashirama exit the doorway and make his way beside his brother, looking down at him with a soft, kind expression.

Butsuma almost envied the look Hashirama was giving him. His mind temporarily slipped into the past. How he missed his own brother and sister... His older sister would give him that exact same look when he himself had been troubled as a boy. The Senju closed his eyes in pain at their memory, and left the brothers alone.

—-

* * *

"Whatcha doing, little bro?" Hashirama plopped a hand onto the boy's head.

The ninja in question looked up at him. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"Trying out that meditation technique I taught you.." He saw him begin to nod his head grudgingly and added, "...And failing it completely." He received a dirty look. "Aha, just relax, Tobi-chan!"

"That's what I've been trying to do," he muttered. "And quit calling me that!"

"Anyway, seriously, it's cold out here." He shivered and sat on the cold ground, huddling next to Tobirama...or at least trying to. "Aren't you cold? Look, the plants are certainly freezing!" he said, pointing to various frosted-covered plants nearby. "And it's really late. Or...really early. I can't tell."

"Go back to sleep, anija," he responded plainly. _Why does everyone want to bother me when I just want to be alone?_

"Well, I can't just leave you alone out here, you know."

_Iiiii! _Tobirama turned his head to his left and glared at his brother's face, which was just inches away. "Since when can you read minds?"

He raised his eyebrows, causing a few nearby dark brown strands of hair to fall beside his eyes. "It's not that hard to read yours. Obviously you want to be alone, that's why you snuck out and are now sitting here, trying to kill yourself in this damn. Cold. Air," he finished, teeth finally beginning to chatter.

Tobirama finally began to shiver, too, and brought his knees up to his face, crossing his arms over them and then letting his chin rest on them. "So is there a reason you have come here? If you know I want to be here by myself."

"Because I know you've been having nightmares again," he said sharply, quietly. He flicked the side of Tobirama's head.

He turned back to him. It was no use lying. "Every year, no big deal. All the time."

A moment of silence passed. "...I remember what you said to Itama that time."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed at the ground.

"...And I'm sorry for what I said...after that." He remembered after Itama had died, but before he went to see Madara, he'd confronted Tobirama, hurt and angry. "'You are becoming too passionate. Keep talking like that and we'll be burying you real soon'...is what you said."

"And that is exactly what happened..."

"But not for the reason that you think. Itama _had_ gotten upset over Kawarama's death, and he was letting it get the best of him...but father and uncle talked to him a week later..." Receiving a curious look, he tried to guess what Tobirama must be thinking: 'Then why were you so angry with me if that's not what happened?' He continued, "Actually, I didn't know...I found out sometime later that Itama received a lecture from them..." He gazed down. "I shouldn't have been angry with you. Itama's death had nothing to do with his anger and feelings over Kawarama...

"I'm sorry."

Tobirama met his eyes. "Why do you apologize? You were angry, and that was fine...you should not have to apologize for having feelings."

"Yes, but my feelings were out of line. You were not to blame. What I said those years ago...must have been hard to hear..." His heart felt heavy. If it had Tobirama who had told him such things...he didn't think could've taken it. "Hearing such words...must have been painful..." Hashirama knew if they'd been directed at him, he wouldn't be able to sleep, either...maybe not ever.

Tobirama observed his older brother. _He really feels sorry for such a trivial thing..._ But even for such a trivial thing, Tobirama noticed, his heart felt lighter, as if he'd just been released from a huge burden; and for such a trivial thing, Hashirama was sure feeling sorry about his actions. It was beginning to become clear that this conversation had indeed been good for the both of them. He slowly let Hashirama lean onto him, finally, letting his head of long hair rest against his shoulder. "Itama was...very wise...understanding the cycle of hatred in this world at such an age..."

Hashirama was quiet for several moments. After thinking for a while about their lost siblings, Tobirama began to wonder if his big brother had fallen asleep. So he shifted, causing the boy the stir a bit. No, not asleep. "What are you thinking about?"

Silence.

"I fought with Madara again, today..."

Tobirama turned his head at the sudden change in topic. "Really? Is he dead?"

"..." His brother flicked him again. "So damn_ blunt_, you! Argh." And then again.

"So did you?" Another flick. "Ow!"

"NO...God, Tobirama...I wouldn't kill him," he said, only then realizing the implications of his statement once he'd spoken it aloud.

"..." He continued to look at him curiously...almost...suspiciously...? "Why not? If he tried to kill you, would you not do the same?"

Hashirama thought for a moment. "Actually..." He placed his left hand over his eyes. "That's the thing...I don't think he was trying to. Over the years, whenever we've met...and fought...it feels like he's become less and less antagonistic towards me."

His younger brother noticed the face in front of him start to turn red. "Come on, let's go inside...I know you can't really handle the cold as well as you think you can..." He stood up and pulled him up, as well.

Now it was Hashirama's turn to look at him curiously.

As they walked back to the house, Tobirama said softly, "Just don't do anything stupid. He's our enemy—on the battlefield, off the battlefield. It's no use getting close to someone when either of you may not be alive the next day because of one another...especially when the other might not feel the same way about you..." he added in an even quieter voice, completely going unnoticed by the hopelessly oblivious Hashirama.

"He is my _friend_, Tobirama...I can't just kill him, and I don't think he wants to kill me, either. So...we're okay. I think." He received a doubtful look, and lowered his voice further once they stepped into the warmer air of their home. "So really, don't worry about it. And...I didn't just fight with him—we also talked."

Tobirama noticed Hashirama's face start to glow. "_About_...?"

He could barely contain his whispering. "A truce!"

"...A _truce?_" He blinked. "Anija, have you gone _mad?_"

Hashirama stood there, shocked. "What do you mean?" he asked._ 'We should just make a truce...only then will we be able to avoid all this useless fighting.' _"_You're_ the one that came up with the idea in the first place! What's wrong with it now?"

"For starters, what was wrong with it _before?_ What makes you think any clan—forget about the _Uchiha—_what makes you think any clan would agree to such a thing?" Izuna flashed through his mind.

"What makes you think they _wouldn't_?" He studied his brother's expressionless face. Still, something was there; he could see it. "You...talked with his brother, didn't you? Izuna." Still the same pokerface. He thought for a brief moment in amusement that if he, Tobirama, and Madara were to ever play against each other in poker, he'd definitely lose; he wasn't sure who'd win, though...

"Yes. I did. Once..." he replied carefully.

"When...?" he asked, not sure what surprised him the most—the fact that Tobirama had (instead of simply murdering him) actually talked to _Uchiha Izuna _about it, or that he was actually admitting to doing so...

"...Last year."

"_Last year!_ Tobi! Why didn't you tell me...?!"

"It wouldn't have made a difference! Izuna wanted no part of it," he said, crossing his arms.

"And so you...just..._gave up?_"

He gazed at him levelly. "For now..."

Hashirama raised an eyebrow. "No, not for now. _Now_, ...we try again." He let his firm words linger in the warm air for a moment. And then, suddenly remembering, he looked into Tobirama's eyes and grabbed his arm—who eyed the hand on his arm in annoyance before returning his dark-eyed gaze to his older brother's curiously smug face—and began to whisper, barely able to contain his excitement. "Also, Tobirama...there is something I need to show you..."

—-

* * *

**A/N**: You may just find out what it is in the next update... Until then, got any guesses at what this could be?

**KIDDING! It looks like this is the end of this series for now. I have been writing up a long story (HashiMada, Tobirama/OC) based in this same universe... **

**:3 So if you like long stories, and this one too, you should read it when I post it! The conclusion/sequel to this chapter will be included in the prologue for the new story.**

**BUT WAIT****! **

_**It's now up! It's called "Zephyr" or "Zephyr Forest". I'm having title issues at the moment...**_

Also, if you have any questions about this chapter, feel free to leave them in a review! (If you do _not_ have any questions...then feel free to leave a review, anyway :3) It's kind of nice to hear from you all once in a while.

(I hope to get a chapter of_ The Burden of Knowledge_ out sometime tonight, depending on ch 631 xD I have written nothing but 2-3 paragraphs worth so far... but don't worry, it shall come!) (And though I have been updating regularly, as of recent...I shall be clear to say: ..._eventually. _Bwahahha.)


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